Unified and Integrated Environmental Authorisation (AAU/AAI)

What the Unified (AAU) or Integrated (AAI) Environmental Authorisation is

The Unified Environmental Authorisation (the usual name in some Spanish autonomous regions such as Andalusia) or Integrated Environmental Authorisation (AAI, the national term under Spanish Law 16/2002 on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) is the administrative permit that integrates, into a single procedure and resolution, the various sector environmental permits an installation requires: air emissions, water discharges, waste management, noise and, where applicable, environmental impact assessment. It is mandatory for the activities listed in Annex I of Law 16/2002, mainly industrial installations above a given production capacity.

Activities subject to AAU/AAI

• Combustion installations with thermal capacity above the established thresholds.
• Hazardous waste management installations and certain non-hazardous waste installations.
• Intensive livestock operations above defined headcount thresholds.
• Chemical, paper, ceramic and other industrial activities listed in Annex I of Law 16/2002.
• Wastewater treatment and management installations above a given capacity.

What the procedure integrates

The AAU/AAI consolidates into a single resolution the conditions for:

• Air emission limits in line with the sector's Best Available Techniques (BAT).
• Wastewater discharge conditions.
• Management of the waste generated by the activity.
• Noise conditions under the applicable Spanish noise regulation.
• Environmental impact assessment integrated into the same procedure, when the activity is also subject to assessment under Spanish Law 21/2013.

How it is processed

1. Drafting of the basic project of the installation with a full technical description of processes, emissions and consumption.
2. Application of the sector's Best Available Techniques in line with the European BREF reference documents.
3. Submission of the application to the competent regional environmental authority.
4. Public consultation and consultation with affected authorities.
5. AAU/AAI resolution, setting the definitive operating conditions and applicable emission limits.

Common mistakes

• Failing to adequately justify the application of the sector's Best Available Techniques, which may lead to more restrictive conditions than necessary.
• Underestimating discharge flows or pollutant loads, causing subsequent breaches of the authorised limits.
• Not coordinating the AAU/AAI procedure with the environmental impact assessment when both apply simultaneously.

Why choose Ideas Medioambientales

We process Unified and Integrated Environmental Authorisations for industrial and livestock installations across the whole of Spain, with knowledge of sector Best Available Techniques and of the specific criteria of each regional environmental authority. Our in-house multidisciplinary team, with more than 25 years of experience and ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certification, works across the whole of Spain from our offices in Albacete and Madrid.

Tell us the type of installation and its production capacity and we will tell you whether it requires an AAU/AAI and what documentation you need.